Question 1

In one elementary school curriculum, mathematical variables first appear in the sixth grade. Why are they not introduced in the fifth grade? 
A)According to Piaget, preoperational children cannot reason with variables.
B)Children in the concrete operational stage cannot reason with hypothetical entities such as variable.
C)Children are incapable of conservation and reversibility until the beginning of the formal operational period.
D)Dealing with variables requires postconventional thought, which does not usually appear until adolescence.

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, children in the concrete operational stage (ages 7-11) can only reason with concrete objects and events, and not with hypothetical or abstract concepts like variables. Therefore, introducing mathematical variables in the fifth grade may not be developmentally appropriate for most students at that stage.

Question 2

Edward is currently in the first grade. According to Piaget, Edward is in the _____ stage of cognitive development.
A)sensorimotor
B)preoperational
C)concrete operational
D)formal operational

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children in the preoperational stage (ages 2-7) are characterized by egocentrism, magical thinking, and difficulty understanding conservation. This stage aligns with early childhood, including the first grade, when children are learning language and beginning to develop their symbolic and representational thought. Therefore, Edward is most likely in the preoperational stage.

Question 3

The MOST common type of infant temperament is _____, whereas the LEAST common type is _____.
A)slow to warm up; difficult
B)easy; difficult
C)slow to warm up; easy
D)easy; slow to warm up

Accepted Answer

The most common type of infant temperament is "easy," characterized by regularity, adaptability, and a generally positive mood. The least common type is "difficult," marked by irregularity, withdrawal, and more negative reactions to new situations.

Question 4

Just over 1 in _____ infants has a temperament that is considered hard to classify.
A)5
B)4
C)3
D)2

Accepted Answer

The answer of Just over 1 in _____ infants has...

Question 5

Characteristic differences in behavioral patterns and emotional reactions make up a person's:
A)character.
B)personality.
C)attachment.
D)temperament.

Accepted Answer

Character refers to a person's moral and ethical traits, while personality refers to a person's overall disposition and behavior. Attachment refers to an emotional bond between individuals, usually used in the context of parent-child relationships. Temperament, on the other hand, refers to innate behavioral and emotional tendencies that are relatively stable across different situations and over time. Therefore, characteristic differences in behavioral patterns and emotional reactions are best described as a person's temperament.

Question 6

Mary Ainsworth devised the "strange situation" to assess:
A)temperament.
B)attachment.
C)moral reasoning.
D)parenting style.

Accepted Answer

Mary Ainsworth devised the "strange situation" to assess attachment between a child and their caregiver(s).

Question 7

Baby Brannon is not especially irritable. However, he deals poorly with changes in his environment and with unfamiliar people. Brannon's temperament type is MOST likely:
A)easy.
B)difficult.
C)slow to warm up.
D)hard to classify.

Accepted Answer

Brannon's difficulty with changes in environment and unfamiliar people suggest that he may be slow to warm up, meaning he takes time to adjust to new situations and may be hesitant when encountering new people or environments. This is different from being irritable or difficult, as slow to warm up infants tend to be more withdrawn and cautious, rather than fussy or challenging.

Question 8

Harry Harlow and his colleagues completed a number of studies in which baby macaque monkeys were raised with two artificial surrogate mothers. One of the mothers was made of wire, and the other was made of soft cloth. Either mother could provide food. Harlow was interested in which of the mothers the infant monkeys would seek out when they were startled or frightened. In these studies the dependent variable was the:
A)material from which the surrogate was made.
B)surrogate that the infant monkey preferred when it was startled.
C)age of the infant monkey at the time of the test.
D)length of time the infant monkey spent exploring the cage.

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in this study was the surrogate that the infant monkey preferred when it was startled or frightened, as Harlow wanted to investigate attachment and bonding behaviors. The material from which the surrogate was made, the age of the infant monkey, and the length of time the monkey spent exploring the cage were independent variables or extraneous variables that may have influenced the results, but were not the focus of the study.

Question 9

Which statement BEST expresses preoperational children's degree of cognitive sophistication?
A)They understand that objects exist when they are not visible.
B)They can pretend that one object is another.
C)They can perform such mental operations as conservation.
D)They are capable of abstract, hypothetical thought.

Accepted Answer

Preoperational children's degree of cognitive sophistication is best represented by their ability to pretend that one object is another, such as pretending a stick is a wand or a box is a car. This is a hallmark of their imaginative play and symbolic thinking abilities. While they do understand that objects exist when they are not visible, they have not yet acquired the mental operations necessary for conservation or abstract, hypothetical thought.

Question 10

Twelve-year-old Nathaniel was having trouble solving the word problems in his math homework. His dad began reading the problems aloud and emphasizing the important information. As Nathaniel started catching on, his dad gradually provided less help for each new problem. This interaction illustrates:
A)Piaget's concept of conservation.
B)Erikson's concept of industry versus inferiority.
C)Piaget's concept of concrete operational thought.
D)Vygotsky's concept of scaffolding.

Accepted Answer

Nathaniel's dad providing decreasing levels of support as Nathaniel solves more problems is an example of Vygotsky's concept of scaffolding. This concept involves the gradual removal of support as a child becomes more capable of completing a task independently.

Question 11

Based on Harlow's research with monkeys, what is the MOST helpful thing a person can do for a frightened infant or child?
A)leave her alone
B)offer her something good to eat
C)talk to her
D)touch or hold her

Accepted Answer

Harlow's research showed that physical touch and comfort were essential for infant development and well-being. Holding or touching a frightened infant or child can help to soothe and calm them, and build feelings of safety and security.

Question 12

In one study described in the text, Stright et al. (2008) assessed baby temperament at 6 months. Mother-child interactions were then assessed on six separate occasions, from the time the children were 6 months old until they were in first grade. Recall the textbook's discussion of developmental research methods. Stright et al's study exemplifies the _____ method.
A)longitudinal
B)cross-sectional
C)correlational
D)cross-sequential

Accepted Answer

Stright et al.'s study follows the same group of individuals over a period of time, assessing them at multiple points. This is characteristic of longitudinal research.

Question 13

Through her English teacher's skillful guidance, Daisy gains a deeper understanding of Shakespeare's plays than she would develop on her own. _____ used the term _____ to refer to the type of assistance Daisy's teacher is providing.
A)Piaget; accommodation
B)Piaget; scaffolding
C)Vygotsky; accommodation
D)Vygotsky; scaffolding

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky's theory of scaffolding refers to the type of assistance provided by a teacher or more capable peer to help a learner move beyond their current level of understanding. This assistance is given in a step-by-step manner that gradually empowers the learner to take on more challenging tasks independently. This is what Daisy's English teacher is doing by providing guidance that enables her to gain a deeper understanding of Shakespeare's plays. The term "accommodation" is also part of Piaget's theory, but it refers to the process of modifying existing cognitive structures to fit new information, which is not relevant to this scenario.

Question 14

According to the text, separation anxiety among infants peaks at _____ months.
A)4
B)7
C)13
D)19

Accepted Answer

Separation anxiety among infants typically peaks around 13 months of age.

Question 15

Nadine hears a television talk-show guest remark that "A baby's mother provides it with food, and that's the basis for attachment." She immediately realizes that this statement is False, because she is familiar with:
A)Piaget's investigations of conservation.
B)Lorenz's imprinting studies.
C)Ainsworth's "strange situation" studies.
D)Harlow's work with monkeys.

Accepted Answer

Harlow's work with monkeys demonstrated that attachment is not solely based on the provision of food, but also on the need for contact comfort and emotional support. His studies showed that monkeys preferred a soft, cloth mother substitute over a wire mother that provided food but lacked tactile comfort.

Question 16

Compared to Piaget, Vygotsky placed _____ emphasis on the _____ foundations of cognitive development.
A)less; social
B)less; linguistic
C)more; social
D)more; perceptual

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory emphasizes the role of social interactions, language, and culture in cognitive development. In contrast, Piaget's cognitive developmental theory focuses more on individual's perceptual and cognitive abilities. Therefore, compared to Piaget, Vygotsky placed more emphasis on the social foundations of cognitive development.

Question 17

Harry Harlow and his colleagues completed a number of studies in which baby macaque monkeys were raised with two artificial surrogate mothers. One of the mothers was made of wire, and the other was made of soft cloth. Either mother could provide food. Harlow found that when the infant monkeys were startled or frightened, they:
A)preferred whichever surrogate that provided food.
B)avoided both surrogates and huddled in a corner.
C)preferred the cloth surrogate, even if it provided no food.
D)showed no clear preference, and ran to whichever surrogate was closer.

Accepted Answer

Harlow found that the infant monkeys preferred the cloth surrogate, even if it provided no food, indicating that physical comfort and contact comfort were important to the development of attachment.

Question 18

Some Western legal systems denote either 7 or 8 as the age at which a child attains reason. Is such a designation defensible from a Piagetian standpoint?
A)Yes. Children do acquire some basic reasoning skills during the concrete operational period.
B)Yes. Children become capable of abstract, hypothetical reasoning during the concrete operational period.
C)No. Children are unable to reason prior to the formal operational period.
D)No. Children can reason much earlier than this, during the preoperational period.

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget's theory, children acquire some basic reasoning skills during the concrete operational period, which typically occurs between the ages of 7 and 12. Therefore, it is defensible to denote 7 or 8 as the age at which a child attains reason.

Question 19

Approximately _____% of babies have an easy temperament.
A)25
B)40
C)65
D)80

Accepted Answer

Approximately 40% of babies are considered to have an easy temperament, characterized by regular bodily functions, positive reactions to new situations, and a generally mild or moderate mood.

Question 20

The textbook describes Stright et al.'s (2008) 6-year study of over 1000 infants and their mothers. What did Stright et al. find with respect to the influence on child development of temperament on the one hand, and parenting style on the other?
A)Infant temperament has little lasting influence on child development.
B)Infant temperament has a larger impact on child development than does parenting style.
C)Parenting style is especially important in the case of difficult children.
D)Parenting style is influential only for easy children.

Accepted Answer

Stright et al. found that parenting style was especially important in the case of difficult children, indicating that the influence of temperament and parenting style interacted in shaping child development. They did not suggest that infant temperament has little lasting influence on child development or that it has a larger impact than parenting style. They also did not suggest that parenting style is only influential for easy children.

Quiz 8: Cognition, Language, and Intelligence

In one elementary school curriculum, mathematical variables first appear in the sixth grade. Why are they not introduced in the fifth grade?

Edward is currently in the first grade. According to Piaget, Edward is in the _____ stage of cognitive development.

The MOST common type of infant temperament is _, whereas the LEAST common type is _.

Just over 1 in _____ infants has a temperament that is considered hard to classify.

Characteristic differences in behavioral patterns and emotional reactions make up a person's:

Mary Ainsworth devised the "strange situation" to assess:

Baby Brannon is not especially irritable. However, he deals poorly with changes in his environment and with unfamiliar people. Brannon's temperament type is MOST likely:

Which statement BEST expresses preoperational children's degree of cognitive sophistication?

Twelve-year-old Nathaniel was having trouble solving the word problems in his math homework. His dad began reading the problems aloud and emphasizing the important information. As Nathaniel started catching on, his dad gradually provided less help for each new problem. This interaction illustrates:

Based on Harlow's research with monkeys, what is the MOST helpful thing a person can do for a frightened infant or child?

Through her English teacher's skillful guidance, Daisy gains a deeper understanding of Shakespeare's plays than she would develop on her own. _ used the term _ to refer to the type of assistance Daisy's teacher is providing.

According to the text, separation anxiety among infants peaks at _____ months.

Nadine hears a television talk-show guest remark that "A baby's mother provides it with food, and that's the basis for attachment." She immediately realizes that this statement is False, because she is familiar with:

Compared to Piaget, Vygotsky placed _ emphasis on the _ foundations of cognitive development.

Some Western legal systems denote either 7 or 8 as the age at which a child attains reason. Is such a designation defensible from a Piagetian standpoint?

Approximately _____% of babies have an easy temperament.

The textbook describes Stright et al.'s (2008) 6-year study of over 1000 infants and their mothers. What did Stright et al. find with respect to the influence on child development of temperament on the one hand, and parenting style on the other?